The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky., Mark Maynard column

ASHLAND — As a way of curbing unhealthy eating in public schools, the state of Massachusetts has put a ban in place on bake sales.

I am not kidding.

Those sugary treats that are the kings of the fundraisers will not be allowed in Massachusetts public schools as of Aug. 1.

Unhealthy foods sold during bake sales, classroom parties, in vending machines and during non-lunch hours are included in the ban. It will apply 30 minutes before, during and after classes in public schools.

The changes are part of the state's new nutritional standards aimed at fighting childhood obesity.

Schools should be a cornerstone of the nation's obesity battle, but to trim Americans' waistlines, changes are needed everywhere people live, work, play and learn, according to a major report released Tuesday by the influential Institute of Medicine.

Two-thirds of U.S. adults and almost a third of children are either overweight or obese, and progress to stop this epidemic has been too slow, the report said.

So, in some ways, I get the ban. We are developing a nation of bad eating habits. We will almost certainly always reach for the candy bar before the apple or the chips before the carrots. Bad eating, like anything else, becomes routine if you let it.

But just the same, a bake sale just isn't the same if you're trying to sell raw broccoli or a baggie of carrots. And nobody is forced to buy something from a bake sale, although that sugary goodness sometimes does come calling our names.

Parents and some school officials in Massachusetts are upset about the ban because of how it will impact their wallets by making it more difficult to raise money for expenses like class trips and athletic equipment.

Most acknowledge obesity is a problem with students, as it is with the rest of the population, but they're stuck with how to raise money.

Massachusetts state officials are pushing schools to expand the ban 24/7 to include evening, weekend and community events such as banquets, door-to-door candy sales and football games.

The report from the Institute of Medicine has a number of recommendations to curb our nation's obesity appetite:

--Restaurants should ensure at least half of children's meals comply with federal dietary guidelines, without charging more for the healthier options.

--Healthier foods should be routinely available everywhere, from shopping malls to sports arenas.

--More food companies should improve how they market to children.

--To make physical activity routine, communities should be designed with safe places to walk.

The institute makes clear this isn't just an individual problem: It's a societal one. For a host of reasons, sedentary lives have become the norm, and we're surrounded by cheap, high-calorie foods.

The report says schools should be a national focus since that's where children spend up to half of their waking hours and consume between a third and half of their daily calories.

Schoolchildren should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day -- a combination of physical education, recess and other activities, the report says. Many schools have slashed PE and cut into recess in recent years in an effort to increase learning time amid tighter budgets. The report also says schools should serve healthier foods -- backing school nutrition standards -- and teach students about good nutrition.

Which brings us back to the bake sale ban.

Certainly there's nothing healthy about most bake sales.

So maybe, before we laugh about the ban in Massachusetts too loudly, we should pause. It could be that cutting out the bake sales is actually cutting-edge thinking.